Ep. 159 - StoryTellers Vol 3 - Steve Hall shot himself in tongue to become a hunter's education instructor and coordinator Artwork

Son of a Blitch

George Bowe Blitch has been a Wildlife Manager, 5th generation Texas Rancher, Professional Writer, Videographer, Photographer, Editor, Speaker, Brand Developer & Designer, Cartographer, Touring Musician, Teacher, Coach, Serial Entrepreneur, Finance Manager, and the owner of numerous businesses.

George has met some wildly interesting people in his lifetime, and this "Son of a Blitch” is sure to share some impactful stories, interviews, and messages that will be informative, educational, and highly entertaining!

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Son of a Blitch

Ep. 159 - StoryTellers Vol 3 - Steve Hall shot himself in tongue to become a hunter's education instructor and coordinator

November 03, 2026 • George Blitch • Season 1 • Episode 157

0:00 | 2:08

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What happens when a six-year-old boy gets a brand-new Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, only to discover the hard way that the famous warning from A Christmas Story might not be so far-fetched?

In Volume 3 of Son of a Blitch Storytellers, host George Blitch welcomes Steve Hall, hunter education instructor and coordinator, who shares the unforgettable childhood accident that helped shape his lifelong dedication to teaching hunting and firearm safety.

Growing up with nine siblings, including five older brothers, Steve learned plenty of lessons the hard way. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened after receiving his prized Daisy Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas at just six years old.

After spending Christmas Day shooting in the family's basement range, Steve returned the next day to discover something stuck in the barrel. When pliers couldn't solve the problem, he tried a decidedly less advisable approach: using his teeth.

What happened next sent him straight to the hospital with a BB lodged in the back of his tongue.

With his father working as a doctor at the local hospital, Steve quickly became the center of attention. And the embarrassment didn't end there. Two weeks later, he found himself standing in front of two first-grade classes, explaining exactly how he'd managed to shoot himself.

Steve jokingly calls himself the real-life Ralphie from A Christmas Story.

Years later, Steve would dedicate himself to teaching hunter education and firearm safety, joking that his lifelong penance for that childhood mistake is helping others avoid similar accidents.

It's a funny, unforgettable story with an important message about safety, responsibility, and learning from our mistakes.

Sometimes life's most important lessons come from the mistakes we never forget.

ABOUT GEORGE BLITCH

George Blitch is the host of the Son of a Blitch Podcast, featuring authentic conversations with musicians, actors, authors, chefs, outdoor industry leaders, and other fascinating personalities. His StoryTellers series explores remarkable experiences, unexpected encounters, and the stories behind the stories.

Learn more:

SonofaBlitch.com

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Instagram: @thesonofablitch

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Welcome And Story Setup

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Son of a Blitch podcast. I'm your host, George Blitch, and today on Storytellers, we hear an incredible story from Steve Hall and how he became a hunter education coordinator, uh, an instructor. And it all started with shooting himself in the tongue. Pretty crazy, right? Listen, you got to hear the story. Here you go.

From Odd Jobs To Teaching Safety

SPEAKER_00 0:21

So all of those jobs uh led me uh, you know, down a pathway of of teaching hunter education, and I always say it's because I'm Ralphie. I'm the poster child of uh Ralphie, the Christmas story kid, because uh, you know, I did have nine siblings but five older brothers, and I kind of learned everything the wrong way.

The Basement Range And BB Gun Joy

SPEAKER_00 0:42

And so we had a range in our basement. And I got my BB rider, Daisy BB Red rider, uh, six years of age, promptly shot it all day on Christmas Day. It was the best day of my life. Next day I came down and my brother got dirt stuck in it. I was all mad at him.

The Split Second Mistake

SPEAKER_00 1:00

I tried the pliers, couldn't get the muddle unstuck. So, what's the next best thing a kid does? He uses teeth, and I got it. But I heard a clicking sound, I thought that was the auto sound because you know I I I put the barrel up and down to hear the BBs going down, and there were no baby sounds. Forgot about the one in the chamber, of course. And uh anyway, long as long and short of it, I shot myself in the tongue, in the back of my tongue, and I was ushered, you know, crying like a baby down to the hospital with my mom and my dad's a doctor at the local

The Lesson He Teaches For Life

SPEAKER_00 1:34

hospital. And before I knew it, every doctor was around my bedside because Doc Hall's son shot himself. And they saw the X-ray, they saw the baby in the back of the tongue, they squeezed it out. Two weeks later, I had to give uh a talk to all my uh first grade, uh both first grades, uh, as to how I shot myself. And of course, we Catholic high uh Catholic grade school, so we had nuns for teachers, and so I had to tell everybody how I shot myself. But my penance for the rest of my life is to teach hunting and firearm safety. So that's what I tell people, and I'm sticking to it.

People on this episode

George Blitch

Host

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